Good morning! It's been a while since we updated everyone on the goings-on at Hot Metal Bridge. Thanks in part to your contributions, we were able to represent Hot Metal Bridge at the Association of Writers & Writing Programs conference in Los Angeles with some professional swag to help spread the Hot Metal word. Since returning, we wrapped up our first social justice contest and this week published our spring 2016 issue, "Number Nineteen." We hope you enjoy perusing it as much as we did compiling it! Now that the semester is coming to a close, we're looking forward to working on web development and putting together yet another unique and engaging issue of HMB for your reading and viewing pleasure. In the meantime, we invite you to read some back issues, listen to [in brackets], and have a beautiful summer. 

Thank you again for your contribution to our magazine. Your support means the world.

Sincerely,

Hot Metal Bridge

"Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort." -- President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945)

Maybe a serious quote, but we are seriously grateful to all of you who have made our goal possible. Not only did we meet our initial fundraising goal of $2,000 within mere days, we were able to set and exceed our second goal of $3,000. Thanks to your support, Hot Metal Bridge is looking at a whole new future. We can move forward on our site redesign and think seriously about how we’d like to continue growing as a magazine, both online and off.

None of this would be possible without your support.

Keep your eyes peeled for our spring issue, as well as the results of our first social justice writing contest. In the meantime, we invite you to read some of the wonderful writing we’ve been privileged to publish, listen to our podcast featuring award-winning authors and Pittsburgh’s literary mavens, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

On behalf of the entire staff of Hot Metal Bridge, the Writing Program, and the Pitt community, thank you.

Humbly Yours,

Hot Metal Bridge

                                                  Andy Beck, "Rebuilt Hot Metal"

We’re happy to announce that we’ve made it just past 80% of our new goal of $3,000. Thank you for what you’ve already done to help secure the future of our magazine.

We hope we can count on your continued support as we make our final push to the finish line.  

We have thirteen days and $570 to go.

100% of your contribution goes toward supporting HMB and its all-volunteer staff. These MFA students gain invaluable experience with and insight into the literary world and, because words are our trade, we’d like to share some of our past and present staff’s thoughts about their Hot Metal Bridge experience.

Love,

HMB

“Without the editorial experience I got at Hot Metal Bridge, I might not have gotten my first internship. Without that internship, I probably wouldn't have my current job. Literary magazines help writers get work and connect them to the larger publishing community.”

-Robyn Coggins, Editor-in-Chief Emerita of HMB, current Associate Editor at PittMed, MFA 2012

“Working on HMB has given me an opportunity to hone my skills as a reader and learn to work with groups of writers to make a quality journal. My experience with HMB has deepened my confidence as an artist in the writing community.”

-Cameron Barnett, Poetry Editor 2015-2016, MFA 2016

“Working on Hot Metal Bridge has allowed me to develop experience working on a podcast, something that I’ve always wanted to do but never had the team or resources for. [in brackets] has given me the opportunity to have conversations about the inner workings of the literary world with leading fiction, non-fiction, and poetry writers who I would never normally get to sit and have an extended conversation about craft with. The experience of collaborating with my peers to develop a new way to share our love of literature and the exposure to these talented writers has been both an inspiration for my work as a writer and a reminder that good stories really do matter.”

-Courtney Harrell, [in brackets] Producer, Nonfiction Reader, MFA 2018

“Before I became a genre editor for HMB, I didn't know much about the behind-the-scenes world of a literary magazine, even after having served as a reader for two different publications. From small details such as how brief an effective cover letter can be, to larger complexities such as the negotiations between editors with differing aesthetics, I've gained a much larger understanding of this world that I want to continue participating in.”

-Cumi Ikeda, Nonfiction Editor 2015-2016, MFA 2016

        (Image credit: Allen Forrest, "Different Walks of Life," from HMB Fall 2015 Issue)

Dearest Donors,

Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you for the incredible support you’ve shown us as we’ve kicked off this fundraising campaign. In under a week, we were able to meet our initial goal of $2,000. Our web hosting and domain name will be secured for a number of years to come, and we’ll be able to redesign our website with the help of a professional.

But with 24 days left to go in our campaign, we can start thinking about the future beyond subsistence. We’d like to raise our fundraising goal to $3,000, and with your help, we believe we can do it.

For the next few weeks, we’re aiming to expand our programming and presence in a way that will change the kind of work we’re able to do in the long-term. For example, your dollars will go toward helping us run our first social justice writing contest. We keep our submissions free because we believe all writers should be able to contribute, regardless of economics, and with your help we will be able to offer a cash prize to each winner without having to dip into our operating budget (or our own pockets).

Your money will also help send future Hot Metal Bridge staff to represent the magazine--and the University of Pittsburgh--at AWP, the nation’s largest conference of writers, writing programs, and literary magazines.

Finally, your dollars will continue to support HMB’s online life and sustainability: every $155 is another year of web hosting.

We’re excited about kicking off this next phase of fundraising, and we’re confident that, with your help, we can meet our new goal. Thank you once again for your generosity, and please keep spreading the word about our campaign.

Love,

HMB

                      (Image credit: Caitlin Crowley, "Toast," from HMB Spring 2015 Issue.)

Wow. As writers, we’re rarely at a loss for words, but the amount of generous and heartfelt support for Hot Metal Bridge in its first week of fundraising has left us speechless. With your help, we’ve already reached 71% of our goal. That means the first part of our goal - securing web hosting for the next few years - is already in excellent shape. THANK YOU.

We’re still aiming high, though, and there’s a little way to go to ensure funding for the site redesign we’ve been dreaming of. We’re looking forward to meeting that goal! Again, thank you for all your support. Please continue to share this campaign with your family, friends, co-workers, and fellow literature lovers. And if you’re wondering what we’re up to, be sure to check out hotmetalbridge.org--submissions are now open for our spring issue!

                     (Art credit: "Shoes" by Ignacio Lopez from HMB Spring 2015)